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California currently houses more people in its prisons than any other state in the nation. Lawmakers are in the process of addressing the problem through a plan called realignment. But locally, there’s a group of artists who think we could learn by looking to the past.

UNIDENTIFIED INMATE: I couldn’t visualize living anywhere else in the prison except my cell. It was like coming back and greeting an old friend. It was part of me.

This unidentified inmate is part of the audio tour tourists and locals hear when they visit Alcatraz. The prison closed in 1963, but since then, it’s been far from deserted. Native Americans occupied the island for 18 months between 1969 and 1971 and still hold ceremonies there (one’s taking place this Monday). And of course, tourists regularly flock to the island.

A local art and theater group the We Players has also been in residence on Alcatraz for the past three years. Their work is designed to spark discussion about everything the former prison stands for: isolation, incarceration, justice, and redemption. This year, the players put on a variety of collaborative exhibits, including a work produced by incarcerated youth in San Francisco. Recently, they brought some of those teens – along with KALW’s Sara Bernard – to spend a day on the island, reflect on its history, and experience “The Rock” for themselves.

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SEAN NEIL: People go to Alcatraz all the time. And it’s all about the gift shop and they don’t realize there are real jails and there are people in these jails and solitary confinement is a real thing.

MAILEE WANG: It means something very different than what the tourists are here to see.

Neil teaches at San Francisco’s Juvenile Hall; Wang works with children of incarcerated parents. Their students aren’t alone today – they’re here with several other groups of teens, some of whom have never been near a prison. But just standing in the cells has a profound effect on everyone.

JAMAR WILLIAMS: My name is Jamar Williams. I’m 15.

EUNIQUE JAMES: My name is Eunique James and I’m 17.

WILLIAMS: Now that I’ve been arrested a numerous amount of times, I’ve realized that prison is a lot much different than juvenile hall. You don’t get a chance like in juvenile hall all the time.

JAMES: I’ve been inside a prison but only in a visiting facility. And for me to see it, it’s like wow, I can’t believe this has been going on.

WILLIAMS: When you’re 18, it’s set in stone: You’ll either go to jail or prison, and most likely it will look like this.

JAMES: When one of the volunteers locked me up in the hole I was shocked. You couldn’t see nothing; it was pitch black. I couldn’t imagine how people were thinking and feeling, it’s like you’re claustrophobic, you barely can breathe, and how they fed them, just water and bread in the hole, and you can be there up to 19 days, or 23 hours, or years.

Teens Jamar Williams and Eunique James have observations that are exactly the kind of thing the We Players were hoping to hear when they invited the young people out to the island. Founding Artistic Director Ava Roy says her group’s work on Alcatraz has been about exploring….

AVA ROY: … where individuals and society stand on the spectrum of justice via vengeance and punishment, and justice via forgiveness and redemption and the possibility of healing.

Part of that mission is encouraging visitors to share their own experiences. David Mairs was released from San Quentin State Prison in June 2009. He’s volunteered with the We Players in the past, and he came to Alcatraz today with his son, a college freshman.

DAVID MAIRS: To see this place, to see a prison, keeps me grounded, keeps me aware that there’s places, people… I don’t want to forget that. You get a good feel of what it could have been like for people who’ve been locked up. Actually, it’s hard to get the feeling exactly; it’s a lot different.

Looking at the cells, Mairs notices one other difference between Alcatraz and San Quentin.

MAIRS: That cell’s huge! It’s crazy. (laughs)

Some of the teens make other comparisons between Alcatraz and the still-functioning prison across the bay. Here’s what one student wrote in her journal:

“A friend of mine is locked up in San Quentin State Prison where he is serving six months of his 15-year sentence in the hole. I read what it’s like based on his descriptions but it wasn’t until I personally went into that isolation unit that I understood how cruel and mind damaging it is. I now get why letters and pictures help so much. It’s the only reminder of the sanity they struggle to keep.”

As the day goes on, the theme of compassion comes up again and again. Fifteen-year-old Jamar Williams already has a criminal record. But he says it’s wrong to think people can’t change.

WILLIAMS: I know it’s going to be hard, because of where I come from and my background. It’s going to be hard to change and to do better but I know I can do it. As long as I set my mind to it. Yeah. I can change.

For Williams, just as important as thinking about his future is getting out in the world for a day.

WILLIAMS: This is one of the funnest days. I’ve only been out six days, six days out of custody. I like it. Really coming outside seeing all these new faces, I haven’t seen new people in a while. I’ve just been stuck in juvenile hall or most recently in a group home. And then just interacting – it’s just a positive kind of feeling in the whole area.

At the end of the day, everyone gathers to share final thoughts.

UNIDENTIFIED YOUTH: I’m taking with me a new perspective on things, and I’m leaving behind any ill judgment I carried toward people that might’ve spent their lives in here.

UNIDENTIFED FACILITATOR: I’m leaving the stories of the people who were here and I’m taking with me the stories of the people I know inside.

And some people are ready to ask more questions, like: Can people change? And, can prisons offer a chance for rehabilitation? For the We Players’ Ava Roy, that’s the best possible outcome.

ROY: I feel more safe and more comfortable to live in a society where people are full of questions – and are okay with questions and have the energy and enthusiasm to investigate those questions.

A day on Alcatraz might not offer answers, but for these teens, it definitely adds a new perspective.

On Alcatraz, I’m Sara Bernard for Crosscurrents.

The We Players will host a symposium on Alcatraz, October 20-23. The symposium will feature the work of prisoner artists, a dance performance, guest speakers, community discussion forums and much more. For details, visit the We Players website.